35 Perfect Container Plants for Small Spaces
There are many annuals and perennials available that can be grown in containers or in small space gardens. Growers and Nurserymen have been developing compact forms of annuals and perennials. The compact plants offer long lasting garden color that are ideal for smaller gardens, hanging baskets, or in container gardens such as window boxes. There are many plant options that can meet a variety of garden needs including full Sun, full shade, or a mix of part Sun and part Shade gardens.
We have found 35 cool container plants for your patio, deck, front porch, back porch, side porch, or any where you need some extra color. Take a look at these cool container plants that will look lovely in your hanging baskets, window boxes, or containers and let us know what you think.
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Easy Wave Red Hybrid Petunia
The Easy Wave Red Hybrid Petunia is a sun loving trailing annual that is perfect for containers or hanging baskets. The Easy Wave Red petunia grows between 3 to 6 inches tall and spreads between 36 to 48 inches wide which makes an excellent plant for hanging baskets or ground cover. They are resist to heat, cold, and drought. Great beautiful deep, bright red blooms from Summer to Fall.
2. Evening Scentsation Hybrid Petunia
The Evening Scentsation Hybrid Petunia is a fragrant blue-flowered petunia. The petunia has a fragrant hyacinth scent with hints of rose and honey. The petunia loves full Sun and reaches 5 to 8 inches tall. The Evening Scentsation spreads 30 to 36 inches wide which makes it a perfect choice for hanging baskets or patio containers.
3. Fireworks Gomphrena
The Fireworks Gomphrena is a full Sun loving annual that reaches 3 to 4 feet tall with strong tall stems topped with hot pink blooms. Fireworks Gomphrena is great in containers, flower beds, borders, and makes an excellent cut flower. A striking plant specimen.
4. Hot Divine Mix Hybrid New Guinea Impatiens
Hot Divine Mix Hybrid New Guinea Impatiens have vivid blooms of reds, violet, and orange on tropical deep green foliage. A full shade or part Sun annual, the Hot Divine reaches 14 to 16 inches tall and blooms during the Summer and into the Fall season. A great plant for flower beds, borders, and containers.
5. Arp Rosemary
Arp Rosemary is a fragrant perennial herb. Arp Rosemary can grow between 36 to 48 inches tall with good tolerance for the cold. The Sun loving Arp Rosemary makes a great container plant.
6. Moonbeam Coreopsis
Moonbeam Coreopsis is a Sun loving perennial that blooms from Summer to Fall. The blooms are creamy yellow that tolerate heat well. Moonbeam Coreopsis can reach up to 18 inches tall, attracts butterflies, and is resistant to deer and drought.
7. Uptick Cream Coreopsis
The Uptick Cream Coreopsis is a full Sun perennial that grows 12 to 14 inches tall. The Uptick Cream Coreopsis blooms from Spring through Summer with cream colored petals and bright yellow centers. Ideal for flower beds, borders, or in containers. A lovely color combination.
8. San Remo Basil
The San Remo Basil is a Sun loving annual that can grow between 24 and 36 inches tall. San Remo Basil is an aromatic and flavorful herb that is vigorous, disease resistant, and tolerant of cool weather. A great container plant for any patio garden.
9. Inferno Coleus
The Inferno Coleus is a low maintenance annual that likes full shade or a full to part Sunny garden. The Inferno can reach between 14 to 28 inches tall with bold patterned, juicy red-orange serrated foliage. An ideal plant for containers or flower beds.
10. Shock Wave Coral Crush Petunia
The Shock Wave Coral Crush Petunia has unique shimmering coral bicolor blooms with yellow throats. The Coral Crush is a full Sun annual that reaches between 7 to 10 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide during the Summer. Perfect for flower beds, borders, in container gardens, or window boxes.
11. Can-Can Bumblebee Pink Calibrachoa
The Can-Can Bumblebee Pink Calibrachoa is a Sun loving annual growing between 10 to 15 inches tall. The blooms are vibrant pinks with yellow star pattern making this annual ideal for containers or hanging baskets.
12. Peppermint Mint
Peppermint Mint is a Sun loving perennial herb that grows between 18 to 24 inches tall. The Peppermint Mint has purple-tinged leaves that can be used in teas and iced drinks, and lamb dishes.
13. Cat’s Meow Catmint Nepeta
The Cat’s Meow Catmint Nepeta is a Sun loving perennial with blue-purple blooms on 17 to 20 inch stems. The Cat’s Meow blooms from late Spring through early to midSummer with fragrant foliage. The Catmint attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It is heat, drought tolerant and deer resistant.
14. Top Hat Blueberry
Top Hat Blueberry is a sun loving shrub that grows to 24 inches tall bearing blueberries in midSeason. Top Hat Blueberry does well in containers or flower borders.
15. Leading Lady Plum Monarda Didyma
The Leading Lady Plum Monarda Didyma is a Sun loving aromatic perennial with bravura lilac-purple blossoms supported by purple bracts. Blossoms appear in early Summer on this compact low growing 10 to 14 inch tall perennial. Deer and drought resistant, this Monarda attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees.
16. New Vintage Violet Yarrow Achillea
The New Vintage Violet Yarrow Achillea is a compact fragrant perennial with violet red flowers that appear in the Summer. The Sun loving perennial is salt and drought tolerant, attracts bees and butterflies, and is resistant to deer and rabbits. New Vintage Violet can grow between 12 to 14 inches tall and does well in borders, containers, are great cut flowers and dried flowers, and in mass plantings.
17. Butterfly Cleopatra Coneflower Echinacea
The Butterfly Cleopatra Coneflower Echinacea is compact perennial with golden yellow fragrant flowers with a large orange cone. Single flowers lighten to creamy yellow as they age, and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The North American native reaches between 16 to 18 inches tall blooming mid and late Summer. The Butterfly Cleopatra likes part to full Sun and is great for border planting, containers, makes great cut flowers or dried flowers, and is striking when planted in mass.
18. Peppermint Twist Geranium
The Peppermint Twist Geranium is a Sun loving annual that reaches 10 to 12 inches tall. The blooms are candy red across snow white petals appearing all Summer long. The Peppermint Twist Geranium is ideal for flower beds, borders, and containers in your garden.
19. Debonair Dusty Rose Hybrid Petunias
The Debonair Dusty Rose Hybrid Petunias are Sun loving annuals that grow between 10 to 15 inches tall with blooms of rosy petals with yellow throats. A great choice for small space gardening, flower beds, or patio containers.
20. Calliope Lavender Rose Geranium
The Calliope Lavender Rose Geranium is a Sun loving annual with big lavender-rose blooms that appear throughout the Summer. The Calliope Lavender Rose Geranium is heat, humidity, and drought tolerant with plants growing between 12 to 14 inches tall. The trailing geranium is ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, or containers and flower beds too.
21. Butterfly Purple Emperor Coneflower Echinacea
The Butterfly Purple Emperor Coneflower Echinacea, a North American native, is a Sun loving perennial that attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The Butterfly Purple Emperor delivers large fragrant magenta purple blossoms from mid Summer to late Summer. The fragrant Butterfly Purple Emperor can grow between 15 to 18 inches tall, an ideal size for container gardening. It is drought and deer resistant and can be planted as a border plant, container, used for cut flowers, dried flowers, or in mass plantings.
22. Watermelon Coleus
The Watermelon Coleus loves a full shade or part sun garden. The Watermelon pink color fills the leaf center as veins of magenta reach out into a lime green edge delivers deep garden interest in your garden all Summer long. This coleus reaches up to 24 inches tall and ideal for garden borders or container gardening.
23. Uptick Cream and Red Coreopsis
The Uptick Cream and Red Coreopsis is a Sun loving perennial reaching between 12 to 14 inches tall. Easy to care for, the Uptick Cream and Red Coreopsis has beautiful blooms of cream with deep red coloring surrounding the yellow center. A perfect choice for flower beds, flower borders, or container gardening.
24. Russian Sage Perovskia Atriplicifolia
The Russian Sage Perovskia Atriplicifolia is a fragrant, Sun loving perennial with upright violet blue blooms on silver foliage. The Russian Sage blooms all Summer and reaches between 24 to 48 inches tall. It is heat tolerant and deer resistant, attracts hummingbirds, and is great in flower beds or container gardening with its striking color combination.
25. Topaz Pink Scaevola
The Topaz Pink Scaevola is a Sun loving annual that reaches 8 to 10 inches tall that cascades. The Topaz Pink Scaevola delivers large, deep pink flowers on stems. It is easy to grow and will look amazing in window boxes, as ground cover, hanging baskets, or in containers on your patio or deck.
26. Flame White Dwarf Garden Phlox
The Flame White Dwarf Garden Phlox provides white blooms on 12 to 18 inch tall stems that are fragrant and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The Sun loving upright perennial delivers beautiful white blooms from late Spring through early Summer and into midSummer. It is drought tolerant and works well in flower beds or container gardening.
27. Purple Sage Salvia Purpurea
The Purple Sage Salvia Purpurea is a Sun loving perennial herb with purple fragrant foliage. The contrast of black and purple foliage texture gives it heat and drought tolerance, resistant to deer, and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the garden. The decorative Purple Sage Salvia Purpurea grows between 12 to 24 inches tall and is ideal for flower beds or container gardening to deliver contrast among other garden plantings.
28. Elise Mix Lewisia
The Elise Mix Lewisia is a perennial with soft, vivid pinks, rose, salmon, white, yellow, orange, soft purple and bicolor blooms that does well in full to part Sun gardens. The Elise Mix Lewisia reaches 4 to 6 inches tall and can be used in rock gardens or rock walls, flower beds, or in container gardens.
29. Starship Deep Rose Lobelia Speciosa
The Starship Deep Rose Lobelia Speciosa is a full Sun perennial with towering spikes of deep red blooms with bronze foliage. The Starship Deep Rose Lobelia Speciosa reaches 20 to 24 inches tall, is resistant to deer, rabbit, and wet soil. It blooms in Summer and into Fall. the Starship Deep Rose Lobelia Speciosa works great in flower beds or in container gardening.
30. Raspberry Lemonade Mix Zinnia
The Raspberry Lemonade Mix Zinnia is a Sun loving annual with blooms of coral, yellow, and starlight rose all Summer long. The easy to care for Zinnia provides vibrant color, reaches 12 to 18 inches tall, and works great in flower beds, borders, as cut flowers, and in container gardening.
31. Candy Showers Deep Purple Snapdragon
The Candy Showers Deep Purple Snapdragon loves a full to part Sun garden that bears deep purple blooms on trailing snapdragon stems. The Candy Showers Deep Purple Snapdragon reaches 12 to 14 inches tall with cascading stems to make the Candy Showers an ideal selection for a hanging basket or container plant. The color rich snapdragon is heat tolerant and can be used in flower beds, hanging baskets, or in container gardening.
32. Fragrant Bouquet Hosta
The Fragrant Bouquet Hosta is a full shade to filtered Sun perennial with fragrant lush apple green leaves accented with wide, pale yellow to cream colored margins. Fragrant white flowers appear in midSummer, the Fragrant Bouquet reaches 20 inches tall and about 36 inches wide to deliver dramatic foliage color. The hosta is stunning when planted underneath trees, shaded gardens and flower borders. It is ideal for erosion control, firescaping and firewise, mass planting, woodland gardens, and in a container garden.
33. Blue Skywalker Veronica
The Blue Skywalker Veronica is a Sun loving perennial with blue spikes of flowers reaching 28 to 30 inches tall. The compact Veronica blooms during the Summer and into Fall, is deer resistant, delivers amazing vertical blue color to your garden that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Ideal plant for a small space garden, flower beds, borders, as cut flowers, and in container gardens.
34. Garvinea Sweet Glow Gerbera
The Garvinea Sweet Glow Gerbera is an annual that likes full to part sunny garden. The Garvinea Sweet Glow Gerbera blooms are a bold rich orange red flower that are 2 to 3 inches wide on sturdy tall stems. Reaches between 15 to 18 inches tall. Sweet Glow works well in flower beds or in container gardens for greater impact.
35. Fantasy Pocahontas Anemone
The Fantasy Pocahontas Anemone likes a part sunny location in the garden. The Fantasy Pocahontas has bubblegum pink, cupped double flowers with yellow centers that appear from July through Fall. The Anemone blooms have a delicate fragrance that appeals to bees and hummingbirds. Grows between 12 to 18 inches tall. Deer resistant perennial that is ideal for flower beds, a woodland garden, or container gardens. As an added benefit, Fantasy Pocahontas Anemone adds Winter interest to your garden with its cotton white seed heads.
For adding color to your patio, deck, or porch consider planting any of these cool container plants. There are many container plants to select available. And provide your garden continuous color throughout the Summer season. If you give any of these 35 Cool Container Plants a try let us know how you make out.
For information on shade loving perennials, see our post on 24 Spectacular Shade Garden Perennials. For information on drought resistant or drought tolerant perennials, be sure to read our post 25 Drought Resistant Perennials. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below. We always are ready to help you out.
